Steel Jackal: Hour of Death
by IronChainDragon
Summary: There is a new girl in town. A girl with an odd way of speaking, a habit of punching people in the face, oh, and she has a tendency to turn into a jackal. Well, she's not the strangest they've ever seen, that's for sure. Also, Minako is hardly a silent protagonist. You have been warned.
1. The New Kids

Daichi: If anyone has hippo.. hippo... the fear of long words, do not read this. You have been warned.

Verity: We only really own Satoko and Yuki.

12121212

She stared in the mirror. A girl of twelve stared back. Long black hair, red-brown eyes, she wore a green bandana and scarf. Brushing aside her bangs, she sighed and picked up the bag beside her.

The train station was crowded. Checking her ticket once more, she made her way to the platform. Her planned destination? Iwatodai Station.

I would think they could drop me off closer to my intended location," she mused, looking at the clock. "I'll be late at this rate."

"Salutations! Are you in need of my guidance?" She turned in surprise to the redhead beside her.

"Don't worry, I know where I'm going. Do you always speak like that?"

"Absolutely! Why would I use monosyllables, when polysyllabic words are more entertaining?" She grinned. "I'm Minako Arisato, loquacious transfer student to Gekkoukan High School this year." This was a surprise.

"Really? I'm..." She glanced at her bag, "Satoko Taraki. I'm transferring to Gekkoukan Middle."

"Wow! What an amazing coincidence. I suppose that means I'm going to be your senpai. Hey, since we'll be disembarking at the same location, let's sit together while we await our next destination." Minako sounded like she'd swallowed the thesaurus. At this point, Satoko wouldn't be surprised.

"Why not?" At least she'd have someone to talk to.

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"Public transportation has really fallen a great deal downhill. Delays happen, but not usually on the journey to the Twin Cities!" Minako complained. Satoko just tried her hardest to appear interested as their train finally pulled into the station.

She pulled out a piece of paper. "Okay, so my dorm is... actually on the other side of town, but it's not worth paying for the ride to the next station."

Minako stopped her. "Satoko-chan, will you be unharmed if you transit alone from here?"

"Don't worry, senpai, I'll be fine," she replied.

"Take care of yourself."

Upon leaving the station, and Minako, behind, Satoko realized that at some point, the world around her had changed. The sky was green, there were puddles of blood, and she'd never seen such a big moon. Besides that, the street was deserted, with simple coffins sitting around. So this was part of the great undertaking that bird had mentioned. At least, she hoped so. Otherwise, things would have gone horribly wrong.

In an effort to move quickly, her shape blurred, before reforming into something else. Her eyes were the same, but her body was covered in blue and black fur. Her scarf was still there, but it was the only clothing on her person. Spikes protruded from the back of her hands. Grinning, she started to run, much faster than before.

Moving as quickly as she possibly could, she tripped over a blob of sludge. Snarling, it began to move towards her, only to be met with a punch to the face. That punch had the power to fell a minor god. The blob stood no chance.

As she moved away from the remains of the creature, a man stood just out of sight, speaking into a cell phone.

"Mitsuru? This is Akihiko. You won't believe what I've got to tell you."

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Upon arriving at her dorm, Satoko shifted back to human, just as the world settled back to normal. Upon knocking on the door, a young woman with purple hair and eyes answered.

"You must be Satoko. I'm Yuki Erufi, overseer of Gekkoukan Middle's kendo club and this dorm. Your classmates are asleep at the moment, I suggest you join them."

"Right. Say, what was with the green sky and stuff?"

"I have no clue what you're talking about. Your room is upstairs, far down on the right."

When she reached the new room, she had little time to admire it. She was tired, and she still had to answer a call.

Pulling out the device, she sighed. "Look, Esp, I know what you're going to say, but the easy way is so boring! I want to fight. That is my Type, after all."

"I know, but did you have to do something that would take you away for several years?"

"Hey, I left you in charge for a reason. Cheer up. You are the smartest one of us. Besides, this might get the others to give you the respect you deserve. I still remember when you managed to knock out Dad by acting cute. Might not be punching out a minor god, but you're getting there."

"I know, just... be careful. You may be a fighter, but there is steel there as well. Use it to remain steadfast."

"Steadfast? I just keep my inner focus."

"...Good luck, Satoko." And with that, the girl who changed shape collapsed on the bed.

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 _'I am thou. Thou art I. I art Anubis, god of the dead.'_ The female jackal did not seem impressed.

"This is the help I was promised? I punch gods in the face all the time!"

 _'Silence, mortal. I have been told to lend you my power. You need but one word.'_

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In her sleep, Satoko smiled and whispered.

"Per... so... na."

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Daichi: Now, I think that this can tell you just how things are going to go. And yes, Satoko punching Shadows in the face will be a thing. And humans, for that matter. Makes you wonder how she'll stay in school.


	2. First Day

Daichi: Satoko's Persona, Anubis, will specialize in instant death skills, and little else. Good thing she can turn into a Lucario...

Verity: We don't own these things. The only things we own are most of the people in Satoko's class.

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The next morning, Ms. Erufi rapped on the door of her newest student. "Satoko-chan, you're going to be late, on your first day!"

Inside the room, Satoko looked from her hands, to the remains of the alarm clock, and back again. "Ms. Erufi, I think my clock is broken."

"Did you forget to set the alarm?"

"No, it went off, but... it's broken." Note to self, no more punching alarm clocks. Especially not when you have a power that amplifies said punches.

"... You hit the snooze button too hard?" Something told her that this had happened before, albeit not due to these powers.

"Yeah, let's... Let's go with that."

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"Hello, everyone, I'm Kiba Gori, and I'll be your homeroom teacher for the next year!" This young woman had deep green hair, and her look was frightening. "This year we have a new transfer student. Go on, introduce yourself." Satoko looked over her new class. Hair of all the colors of the rainbow, they all sat in already agreed upon groups. She had no idea how she would fit in.

"Hello, I'm Satoko Taraki. I like martial arts and adventure. I especially like adventures involving martial arts." She dipped her head quickly. "It is nice to meet you all."

"You can sit next to... ah, Seta-san. He transferred here last semester, so you can get along nicely."

Going to her seat, Satoko saw that the boy next to her had silver hair. He looked up for a second, as though he were just then registering her existence, and then turned back to his book.

"Um... are you going to say anything?" An almost imperceptible shake of the head. "This is nothing like my last school."

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At lunch, Satoko followed the boy, until he turned around.

"Why are you following me?"

"I don't know anyone here. I was running late, so I don't even know the girls in my dorm."

A sigh. "You're persistent, I give you that much. Taraki, right?" She nodded. "Souji Seta. Don't wear it out, okay?"

She grinned. "It's good to meet you, Seta-san." Souji groaned.

"What have I gotten myself into?"

"Don't worry, I don't Bite. Well, I do, but... what? Delcatty got your tongue?"

"Who... who are you?"

"I'm just Satoko."

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After school, Satoko dragged Souji with her. "Taraki-san, where are you taking me?"

"I want to check out the local mall. Paulownia, right?"

He nodded, "That's right, but... why are you bringing me?"

"Because that's what you do with friends, silly! Come on, Seta, time's a-waistin'!"

A few minutes later, they were sitting at a table with ice cream in front of them. Souji didn't seem pleased.

"We have homework, you know."

"You mean that 'tell me about yourself' worksheet? I could fill that out in five minutes. Actually..." She pulled out the paper and a pen and scribbled the answers down. "Done! Now, to the ice cream!" She grabbed a spoon and dug in. "It's good. Seta-san, you have to try this!"

He took a bite. "You're right. It is good." Some of the other kids in their class walked by.

"Hey, Momo-kun, did the new girl just get Seta to speak to her?"

"Wow, Runa-chan, you're right! I never thought anyone could get through to that guy. How did she do it?"

"Momo-kun, Runa-san, I don't think we should disturb them."

"I know, Keiti-san, but she managed to get Seta to talk to her. That deserves a reward!"

Satoko glanced at the conversation. "Friends of yours?" He shook his head. "Fans, then?"

"What makes you think that?" Souji asked.

She closed her eyes. "I like to think of myself as a fairly good judge of people, but I can't read you, for some reason. It's like you just can't settle on one thing. It's a novelty, and you know how we students love novelties." He went quiet. "Too good?"

"Replace thing with place, and... My parents are overseas for this next year, have been since last semester, and they put me in the first place they found with dorms. I don't like planes, and they travel a lot, so..."

"What's wrong with planes?"

"You wouldn't believe me."

She shrugged. "Tell me why you don't like planes, and I'll tell you a secret."

"Sometimes, the sky turns green and nothing electronic works. I never see anyone else during that time, and it's normally okay, but... if I were in a plane..." She winced.

"Wait, the sky turns green? Like it did last night?"

"You saw it, too?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Was that the secret you were going to tell me?"

"No! Come on!" She dragged him away from the table, ice cream all but forgotten. Once they reached the corner, she held out her hands, and a blue light formed between them.

"What's that?"

"I call it Aura Sphere. It's a power I have."

"Think I could do it?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "No. I can sense too much tumult in your soul."

"What does that even mean?"

"It means you need to settle down, make friends, eat ice cream..." She trailed off for a moment. "Maybe save the world..."

"Me, save the world? I'd never be able to do that!"

"You don't know unless you try! Give it, say, three years or so, and you'll be able to do it in no time!" He still looked doubtful. "Come on, it's not that hard."

"What, are you a super-villain and I just have to defeat you?"

"No! Maybe you could help me look for someone. Have you seen a golden fox or pink cat around anywhere?" He shook his head. "I guess it can't always be that easy."

"...What have I gotten myself into?"

"Welcome to my world, Seta-san. Trust me, you haven't seen anything yet."

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Tsukaimon: That poor P4 protagonist... He has no idea what he's doing.


	3. First Outing

Daichi: This skips ahead a bit to where things really pick up. Specifically, about a week later.

Verity: We don't own this stuff, just Satoko and any members of her school mentioned not named Souji Seta.

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Lily Gaunt, foreign transfer, had never, in any country she'd lived in, met anyone like the girl in the room across from her. Not only had she managed to defrost Seta, a task thought impossible by many, the one known as Satoko Taraki finished her homework quickly and without complaint. Gekkoukan was known to be a challenging school, but she took it without any fuss and got decent marks.

Lily decided to see if Satoko was slipping out at night, if only because the one way she knew to figure things out was get dirt on someone and ask them yourself. Admittedly, it was also how she got kicked out of every school in five states, along with several in different countries, this being the seventh she went to in Japan, but she never learned. Not that she found anything.

She waited until she could be sure. Her plan was to go the whole night.

The clock struck twelve.

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As the dorm's lights went out, Satoko sat up. Walking over to the window, she climbed out and transformed. Jumping down, she peered into the nearest coffin. Looked like Ms. Gori was kept out late by something. Not that it was any business of hers.

Changing back, she walked across the street and knocked on the door. Souji opened it, looking somewhat irritated.

"Taraki-san, what are you doing here at this time of night?"

"Let's have some fun!"

"It's after midnight. What if someone finds us?"

"Don't worry, Seta, they're all in coffins. We'll be back before they change back." Souji sighed, realizing that there was no going against her wishes. She might not be the best in the class, but she was inhumanly strong. When he asked, she said it was her natural aura and didn't go into it any farther. He probably wouldn't be able to process it, anyway.

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Yukari Takeba wasn't entirely comfortable with summoning her Persona, no matter how many Shadows she was up against. Still, with Akihiko out of commission and Arisato in the hospital, it was her or Mitsuru. And it was important to have support.

Either way, any chance of actually needing her Evoker that night was cut off by what she saw before her.

"Senpai, when Akihiko said he saw a creature take out a Shadow, what did he say it looked like?"

"A black and blue canid."

"Yeah, I thought so. Anyway, it just jumped from the rooftop of a dorm and turned into a human girl. Are you sure there's no such thing as werewolves?" She completely ignored the boy that followed her. After all, seeing such a transformation does have a tendency to blow minds.

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Satoko had seen and done many things over her lifetime. She had fought a being made up of negativity. She had punched several gods in the face, including knocking out a minor god. She could turn into a jackal at will.

This was a new one, however. A blob like the one from the first night, what appeared to be a couple of dancers, but looking closer had only one aura, and thus was only one entity, and a lion chained to an iron ball, with the majority of it's aura coming from the ball. Well, this would be fun.

"Hey, Seta, how quick do you think I can take these out?" Souji shrugged, backing away from the creatures as quickly as he could.

The blob went down easily, just a toss of an Aura Sphere. The lion and dancers, she suspected would take a little bit more effort.

 **'If you wish, I may make this fight easier on you by reducing the number of your opponents'** A voice she'd only heard in dreams before spoke into her head.

"Alright, then." There was a foreign feeling at the edge of her senses. This wasn't aura manipulation, but something else altogether. "Persona!" A humanoid black jackal wearing white robes appeared. "Hama!" Glowing golden cards appeared, and the dancers was down, leaving just the lion, and a slight shortness of breath that told her not to do that again.

The lion pounced. She raised an arm, shoving it out of the way, and winced as it's claws tore three straight lines down her skin.

"Taraki, are you okay?"

"I'll be fine, Seta, just stay out of this!" Turning, she punched the mask on the iron ball, and then the face on the lion, just to be safe. The second she felt the teeth, she pulled her fist away, wondering how she would explain the bite marks and the blood to Ms. Erufi.

Well, it had been a fun fight, but she decided to end it before she got any more unexplainable injuries.

"Force Palm." It was nice to have close range attacks that wouldn't leave her with a sour taste in her mouth. Picking up the coins she saw in the pile of goo that remained of the creature, she turned to Souji. "Maybe we should head back."

"What did you- just... Yeah, let's head back."

With any luck, she'd be able to treat her wounds and get back to bed before the world changed back.

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She wasn't so lucky. She'd treated her wounds, alright, but had only opened her bedroom door when everything became normal again. And then Lily Gaunt came it.

"Taraki, I thought you were in bed. How are you in front of your door again? And you're injured. Have you been sneaking out?"

She turned. "No, just went for a walk around the dorm. You should know that, as you've been watching this door for the past six hours. And for the record, Gaunt, I think spying on others is against the rules here. I may be wrong, but I don't think so. If you want, I can open the window and shout for my homeroom teacher, I think she's passing by."

Lily paused. "This isn't over."

"I know. I'm just making sure you realize I don't lose easily. If you want to cause trouble for me, I will do something about it. Understood?"

Scaring Lily Gaunt was difficult to do. Just another thing to add to the list of impossible feats Satoko had managed to accomplish.

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Daichi: Every OC I introduce in this story has a name referencing a species of Pokemon. Feel free to make your guesses.


	4. A New Club

Daichi: Satoko's past, if you hadn't already guessed it, is an alternate epilogue to Super Mystery Dungeon where she evolves permanently and it is proven that Fighting Types don't necessarily have common sense.

Verity: We just own those at Satoko's school not named Souji Seta.

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The next morning dawned bright and early, with Satoko wondering why she had decided to go out on a school night. She wasn't known for her common sense, but her hindsight was rather good. Not as good as her Foresight, but that didn't count. She had prepared for school when Ms. Erufi called for her.

"Satoko-chan, after school, someone wants you in the principal's office."

Why? Had they realized she didn't belong there, and that her education was spotty at best thanks to the whims of her boss? Either way, she got the feeling that she wasn't getting out of this one.

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Walking into the office that afternoon, the first thing she noticed was that there were no people that she recognized. One was a teenage girl with deep red hair, and the other a man who she instinctively backed away from. She didn't trust him. He had a twisted aura.

"Hello. I am Shuji Ikutsuki, overseer of a special club at Gekkoukan High, known as SEES, or the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad."

"Would you please not tell her that yet? We don't even know if she has the Potential."

"Potential? Does it have something to do with Anubis, or that weird coffin time?" They stared at her. "What?"

"This is the first time I've heard someone speak of the Dark Hour so... simply in our first encounter."

"What's the big deal? I'm not the only one who can do it. My friend can as well, but he doesn't like to. Something about not wanting to risk his life?" She shrugged. She had no clue why anyone would turn down a chance for adventure. Alas, understanding the way rational people thought was not her strong suit.

"It's a big deal because few know that the Dark Hour exists, let alone have the ability to move in it. In addition, most don't transform into vaguely canine humanoids."

"You saw that, huh? That would be one of my own powers. Mine, not Anubis'."

"Who is this Anubis you speak of?"

"He's my Persona, of course! He's got Hama and Mudo, and is really good at them, too! Sure, I can't use more than one in a night, but I can fight just fine on my own. Throw a few punches, maybe an energy blast here or there... I haven't gotten into anything really life threatening." For her, anyway. She still had bandages from the previous night's adventures, but she hadn't come off too badly that fight, all things considered. If she had used magic earlier, they could very easily have ganged up on her and killed her.

"Shadows are powerful creatures. I'm surprised you went this long without any serious injuries."

She shrugged. "So, they're called Shadows? Huh, I thought that blob looked familiar. No wonder. And don't worry. They may be strong, but I'm always getting stronger."

They blinked a few times. "..Right. Anyway, would you like to join SEES? You get to live in a high school dorm and beat stuff up every night."

Satoko's eyes shimmered. "Do I ever!"

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"What do you mean you're moving?" Lily Gaunt gasped.

"Exactly what I said, Gaunt-san. Now, please let me get my bags."

"Where are you going, anyway?"

"A high school dorm."

She backed away. "Liar! I'll tell Ms. Erufi."

"No, you won't. Do you want to know how I got those injuries?" The other girl was speechless. "Just as I thought." She wasn't really leaving anything important behind. She liked Ms. Erufi, but she was planning on joining the kendo club anyway. It sounded fun, and it could help her practice her own technique.

So she left the dorm, prepared for where this next chapter in her life would take her.

2112

The next Dark Hour, Satoko turned to her companion for the night. "Takeba-senpai, are you sure you're going to be fine? I am entirely capable of fighting on my own. Besides, I don't think you're entirely comfortable with your Persona."

"No, I'm fine with Io, it's the Evoker..." She didn't blame her. She was glad her aura powers allowed her free summoning of Anubis, otherwise she might not even bother. She understood that the art of wielding a Persona was still fairly new and all, and she cheered recklessness, but some things she just wouldn't do, and pointing a gun at herself was one of them.

"Have you tried not thinking about it?"

"It's a gun. Pointed at my head. How can I not think about it?" Satoko was hardly a medical genius, anyone could tell you that, but she was still fairly certain that Yukari was hyperventilating.

"Senpai. Breathe." Yukari seemed to be taking her advice, so Satoko closed her eyes and focused on the auras around her.

Three aura pairs. Yukari, Mitsuru, Akihiko. One lone aura. Ikutsuki. Two muddled sets, both on the edge of her senses, one of them likely Souji. And a scattering of Shadows. There was a large mass that she could barely make out, but she knew better than to charge straight in.

"All right, I can do this." Yukari stepped forward. "Satoko-chan, Mitsuru-senpai says that there are Shadows in this direction." The Lovers walked off, leaving the girl with the Death Persona to follow.

21122112

Five Shadows. Two humans, one of them with the ability to transform into a jackal and destroy everything. Three of the Shadows were Mayas, there were also two Dancers. The battle started by Satoko walking up and punching a Dancer right were it's face should have been.

Yukari stared for a good few seconds. Apparently it was a surprise to have a twelve-year-old just walk up to a Shadow and punch it. "What are you...?"

"Come on, senpai! If you help, I may not need to transform! Or even summon, for that matter..."

This was going to be a long night.

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Daichi: As I said, Fighting Type. No common sense whatsoever.


	5. The Newest Member of SEES

Daichi: Notable early differences in plot involve, well... still have a few days before Minako gets out of the hospital, let's make them count.

Verity: We don't own this stuff.

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 ** _'Satoko, that dog has a Persona.'_**

 ** _'I noticed.'_**

 ** _'I don't think you did. Let me reiterate- a dog has a Persona.'_**

"I know, Anubis," She muttered out loud. "What do you expect me to do about it?"

 _ **'You can speak to most animals, can't you?'**_

"Doesn't necessarily include Shiba Inu." Well, she knew it did. She didn't know quite how far her lingual gift went, but canines were definitely well within her range. A pressure in the back of her head. "Fine, I'll talk with him." The pressure lightened.

Fortunately, the dog hadn't gone far, and she could simply track his Persona with her aura senses. Animals had fainter auras than humans, but Personas were difficult to overlook unless something was suppressing them.

She found him at the shrine, sitting on the steps. She didn't really know how to start a conversation with him, so she just sat down next to him. "It's a nice day out, huh?" That was a good way to start a conversation, right? It was strange. She could manage to make an emotional connection with anyone, but had no idea how to speak to a dog.

 **"I guess."** Animals spoke in a different way from humans. It was not really normal language, in that the structure seemed random at first glance and sounds could have several hundred meanings depending entirely on context, but Satoko understood it clearly. It was similar to the way others of her kind spoke, to the point where if she spoke like them, animals would most likely understand.

"You guess? What is there to guess about? It's either a nice day or it isn't." She shrugged. Inside her head, Anubis started the countdown.

 **"Wait, did you just understand me?"** She nodded.

"I can speak to animals, it's a thing I do. I can also detect natural energy, manipulate it, and summon an ancient god of death. Not that it does much. Anyway, my name's Satoko."

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After spending some time with the dog, who she'd learned was called Koromaru, she gave a hurried goodbye as she ran back through town. It was getting late, and Mitsuru wanted her to be at the dorm by dark, never mind that she'd be back out after midnight anyway. She hadn't brought up the subject of Personas, but she didn't really know how to bring that up in a normal conversation.

Anubis had gone quiet in the back of her mind again, which she counted as a plus. Aura guardian or not, she had her own things to do, and having a god of any kind making snide commentary would not be helping. She pulled a photograph out of the pocket of her green jacket. A smaller version of her other form was sitting with a small golden fox. Both creatures were wearing scarves like the one around her neck.

"I can do this, Keira," she told the picture. "I know I can."

211212

It turned out that she wasn't going out that night, after all. She lay down in her bed, the unnatural auras of the Dark Hour having jolted her awake. She probably would never get used to it. It just wasn't right.

Getting back to sleep was difficult. She wondered just what her old classmates would say about this. At least one of them would probably laugh at her. She could try to call, but maybe it would be better, for the time being, if they just forgot about her. She was on the hunt for clues, but could never find any. It had been a simple hunch that led her to Iwatodai in her search, and it didn't seem to be paying off. Not that she could back out now.

The deal had been four years, give or take a few months, and travelling between as necessary. Maybe the ability to go back and forth at will could happen, but not now. She had to fulfill her end of the bargain first. She was a fighter, and the fought of a hard battle made her heart race. But this was one thing she couldn't risk.

She didn't want to risk destroying what was left of her best friend.

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The next day, after school, Mitsuru called her on her new cell phone. "How did you get this number? I literally just bought this thing before school!"

"That doesn't matter. Arisato is awake."

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She was surprised to hear that Minako was the one they were waiting for, but at least she now knew who the aura similar to Souji's belonged to. Unlike Souji, however, Minako had stability, in a sense. It swirled about, but still wasn't as out of control as Souji's was. There was something else that unsettled her, but Satoko just shrugged it off. She couldn't go around actings suspicious of all the auras she sensed.

When Ikutsuki had asked Minako if she'd believe in a secret hour, Minako just nodded. "I've lived with it for ten years. Orpheus and Thanatos can back me up on that." Actually, her mixed aura had several offshoots, but the extra structure definitely came from her awakening to the power of Persona.

Satoko wondered why Mitsuru's mouth was gaping like that. Maybe it was because Minako dropped the names of two Personas instead of just one. But that could only be a good thing, right?

"By the way, please don't ask me to use Thanatos again. Summoning him is really tiring." Or that. Would explain just why she had been unconscious for almost two weeks.

Minako had immediately accepted the offer to join SEES, just as Satoko had. She hadn't really spoken, preferring to let the teenagers and the one adult deal with the situation. It couldn't really affect her.

Maybe not caring was a bad idea, but she knew better than to get too invested in something that cannot last. It just wasn't worth it.

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Daichi: Satoko may act really happy, but she still has deeply buried issues. She'll eventually face them... like, three years down the road eventually.


	6. Night One

Daichi: Satoko's school days will consist of spending time with her friends... her nights will be spent at Tartarus... and her years will be spent wondering if any of it was a good idea.

Verity: We only own Satoko.

12122112

Satoko trailed behind Minako as the group, now plus a boy from Minako and Yukari's class named Junpei, walked in the direction of Gekkoukan High. She had no clue why they were heading there now instead of in the Dark Hour, but she wasn't going to say anything.

"So, Mitsuru-senpai, explain to us why we are moving in the direction of our institute of learning?" Minako inquired.

Mitsuru said nothing, just checked her watch. The clock struck twelve.

121212

Over the course of her life, or at least what she could remember, Satoko had seen many things. A giant tree that held the life force of a whole planet. A world full of other's negative thoughts. She had met several gods face to face, and beaten most of them in a fair fight, as well.

This was a new one, though. She was fairly certain that schools turning into towers wasn't normal for this world. Or any world, come to that.

She didn't have a problem with the tower itself, though. The biggest issue she had was the sheer number of Shadows she could sense within. Having aura powers may have made it impossible for anybody to sneak up on her, but it came at the cost of having to acknowledge some things she'd rather pretend did not exist. The people beside her could close their eyes and not see, but she had no such luxury.

Still, the Shadows were her enemy. They always had been. Before, she had only ever been able to defend herself from them. Now, it was her turn to go on the attack.

She relished the opportunity.

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Satoko loved to fight. It was not just in her nature, but something of her own. Which was why she had been recruited. She didn't just agree to being on the front lines, she needed it. And the power she was outputting might not be as effective as she had hoped, but occasionally Mitsuru would point out a weakness to Light or Darkness, and she could set Anubis on them.

Minako was excelling, as well. She had not just two Personas, but enough that she could probably form her own army of them. When asked just how many she had, she hadn't given a very good answer.

"Well, eighteen of them accompany me on all occasions, but several more exist in a way I can access them if need be." It seemed she had lost count.

Satoko wondered if, given that Personas were manifestations of someone's soul, this was a good or bad thing. It didn't really matter to her, but as Orpheus and Apsaras combined their powers, she realized that it probably should have.

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Minako Arisato couldn't have always been as powerful as she was now. Satoko knew this. After all, she herself hadn't always had the immense power she had now. It had taken practice, and experience, and several near misses. And her power was only a fraction of that which the teen in front of her held. She could tell.

In actuality, a simple human carrying this kind of power scared her. She had needed to work for her power, and it had taken a long time to get as far as she had. Not much caused her to back away.

The simplest way of putting it was that Satoko Taraki, as far as she could remember, was truly scared of another for the first time in her life.

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Still, despite how everyone seemed to be some form of crazy, the night passed with nobody getting seriously hurt or killed. It was decided that, for matters involving general safety, they wouldn't go in two nights in a row, which Satoko was perfectly fine with. She didn't need to tire herself out so that she couldn't focus on anything. She had a purpose for being there. And it was one that couldn't be handed off to somebody else.

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Despite having a large goal driving her forward, that didn't mean she couldn't make friends along the way. She was unsure of how long that it could last, but she figured she should enjoy herself while she had the opportunity.

Despite having arrived only recently, she was largely ignored. It was different from her previous school, but then again, the classes were larger and it was easier to slip through the cracks. She didn't really mind. She wasn't someone who asked for a large group of friends. She just needed one or two people who she ould really trust.

Souji was one of those people. He was still rather quiet, and Satoko was unsure if that would ever change, but he was a good friend. She hadn't told him, but she had suspicions that he was the same as Minako. The similarities in their auras were uncanny. And that was part of the reason she didn't tell him.

She had felt Minako's power the previous night, but from some of the things that she had said, she was using some of her weaker Personas. If that was the case, she didn't want to see what would bring out the stronger ones, or what they could do. And if Souji had the same power, than he could become just as strong.

Still, this was her life now. It might be dangerous, it might be frightening, and it most definitely could be frustrating, but she was okay with that. This was her choice, ad she would see it through to the end.

Because she had promised.

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Daichi: It will pick up again soon, definitely. It's just really slow at first.


	7. Interlude

Daichi: This chapter is different, in that it will not focus on Satoko. Rather, it will focus on the other changes in the plot.

Verity: We only own Satoko, and to a similar extent, Meiko.

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It wasn't quite Dark Hour, but there weren't many people out and about that night either way. She moved swiftly, muttering under her breath.

 **"Honestly, did you have to forget to find me food?"** The boy she was following shrugged.

"Look, it's difficult to find something and sneak it to you every night."

 **"I will literally eat anything made of plant material that you actually consider food."** The small serpentine creature tried to glare, but failed.

"Sorry. Tell you what, I'll go back there, find the nearest open shop, and get you an apple or something."

 **"You better include a drink."**

"That... I might actually have to get here." He searched his pockets. "And... no yen. Do you think I'd be allowed to get a berry shake to go? Or are you willing to wait until tomorrow?"

 **"Tomorrow's good. Just none of that coffee stuff. Not unless you add a lot of sugar. Actually, I'd be fine if you dumped some sugar and cream into hot milk, that would be great."**

The boy checked his watch. "I don't actually think I can go tonight, though. As it is, there is no way, we're getting to the dorm by midnight. Come on, Meiko, I can leave from there. Not sure what'll be open at this hour, though." The small creature shrugged and climbed onto his shoulder.

 **"If anything attacks tonight, you can handle it. I'll just enjoy the show."**

"But I thought we were friends!"

 **"The best. But not when I'm hungry."**

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"There's a new girl. Besides me, I mean."

"Oh? That doesn't sound like it should happen."

"I know. I brought the matter to the Velvet Room, but Igor was cryptic as always."

"Right. So, you doing the whole big vocabulary thing this time?"

"They're buying into it, so, yeah. It's not that hard. Trying it out's how I met the new girl. Might as well try something new, right?" She shrugged. "And it works, so, why not?"

"Because it's dumb?"

"...I guess it is a bit stupid. Not like that'll stop me from doing it with the others, though." She leaned back. "I have to take advantage of being ahead somehow, and the words I picked up while studying are a great way of doing that. It keeps me sane, at any rate."

"Can Wild Cards be sane?" She slouched down, hiding her face.

"You aren't helping." Laughter sounded in her head. "You aren't helping either, Sandy." She groaned. "I'm not sure how much more of this I can take. I want... I just want to stop doing this." She felt a hand on her shoulder. "Thanks."

He didn't say anything.

"Oh, well." She sat up and shook her head. "Maybe six-hundred eighty-five and forty-three are our lucky numbers."

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The Velvet Room. A place between dream and reality, mind and matter. A place that existed outside time. A place whose residents had grown very, very bored.

Which was probably why Elizabeth had turned it into a nightclub. Theodore helped. Margaret just sat in the corner, while Igor tried not to let his annoyance show.

It wasn't easy. Which was why, when Minako went through the door that night, she picked up on it immediately.

Wisely, she didn't say anything. She just dumped some money on the table, picked her Personas, and left a note.

 _Theo, Liz, sorry, but I am not putting up with this anymore. If you want to go to the human world, fine, but you've been around long enough to know better than to pull the stunts you two did last time. If you want to mess with someone, bug your sister, alright?_

 _Minako_

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School and work. That was her life right now. It was so tiring, she generally collapsed in bed when she got the chance. She envied the other students. They didn't lose out on months of studying at a time due to a job... even if it was a fun job.

Still, she wouldn't be back at school for a while, which meant studying on the job. The young girl looked to her textbooks and everything she'd need for a while.

This was going to be a long trip.

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Gekkoukan Middle School was full of rumors. Some seemed ridiculous, like the thought of a young idol attending school there, to the slightly more plausible, like certain teachers having drug problems.

Souji paid no attention to the rumor mill. He just did his school work, and that was it. He didn't really talk to anybody.

There was something strange about her, something more than what she had told him. He could sense it. He just felt that there wasn't any real reason to dig any deeper. A lot of it could be in his head. The crash that he heard when she revealed the Aura Sphere to him definitely had been. It wasn't like she was the only strange one. His ability to experience the Dark Hour definitely said something about him, at it was not that he was perfectly normal.

It was a new experience for him, meeting someone that so desperately wished to become his friend, but it was a welcome change, even if every other morning she wouldn't shut up about the previous night's adventures.

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The Fool has infinite possibilities. Sometimes these possibilities change. The world doesn't always turn out this way. But, this time, it did, and the associated Fools were grateful for it.

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Daichi: Some of the focus characters go without names, but at least one unnamed featured character is possible to guess. All of them but the Snivy are canon to P3 and P4, though. Just a few new experiences, is all.


	8. Priestess

Daichi: This is a good start. Also, this is very different from the normal timeline, for several reasons. Some of them better than others.

Verity: We only really own Satoko.

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It was hard for her to believe that it had already been a month since her arrival. It still felt like she had only just arrived, despite the calendar, among other things, telling her otherwise. Satoko had needed to deal with so much in such a short amount of time that it had all just flown by.

It didn't help that she didn't really know anyone at the dorm, with them all being at least two years older, and all of them seemingly having something better to do. Even Minako, who had arrived at about the same time, spent a lot of time out of the dorm or on her phone.

Mostly, she would spend her free time with Souji. What little free time she got, anyway.

Her life was also filled with new discoveries, such as that it was possible for Persona Users to survive extended periods of time in a block of ice. Junpei had been the unfortunate recipient of that one. She had no clue what he said to make Mitsuru so mad, but decided that she didn't need to know.

The month had flown by, but this next night would drag itself out. Minako had dragged everyone outside for some reason known only to herself.

The clock struck twelve.

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"How did you know something was going to happen tonight?"

"I have acquired Death's telephone number." Satoko wondered how Minako could say that and keep a straight face. Still, there were more pressing things to worry about. Such as the giant malicious aura that, according to Mitsuru, had decided to ride the monorail.

"Why would Shadows use the monorail, anyway?"

"We don't know. Shadows are very mysterious creatures."

She still didn't know why she had accepted that answer.

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"Am I the only one who understands the possible consequences of this?" Minako asked. Junpei had already jumped onto the train, though, so the choice had already left her.

 _'I think there's some slight doom here.'_

 _'Sandy, could you stop tormenting Mistress Mina? She's got enough on her plate already.'_

 _'I'm just pointing out what anybody could clearly see for themselves. Now shut up.'_

 _'Orpheus! Sandy is picking on me!'_

 _'Would you two please be quiet!? I am trying to sleep!'_

 _'Sorry, Thanatos...'_ It was incredible just how she could concentrate on anything with these voices. She saw that her allies had already climbed on board.

"Well, this is the destiny I created from my own willpower."

 _'Did... did you just quote your contract?'_

 _'I don't see how it matters. Now, is he here yet?'_

 _'He's in the area. He should be around about the time you confront the big one.'_ She could live with that.

She hopped on the train, and the doors tightly shut behind her.

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 ** _'So... we walked right into a trap.'_**

 ** _'Shut up, Anubis. It can not get much worse than a Monster House, and I've escaped Monster Houses.'_**

 ** _'Didn't you trip over your own paws?'_**

 ** _'I still got out! Now, I'm going to need to summon you to take care of some of these, because Steel-Type or not, I can't last forever.'_** Plan set, Satoko prepared for the strain of using magic.

"Anubis! Mudo!" She had a habit of not looking at her Persona's victims. The most she would do was pick up the dropped coins, and everybody did that. Just because she didn't have to spend money on equipment didn't mean she didn't have items to get. More specifically, she needed more than eight copies of the same outfit, or else people might start asking questions.

The train started moving, so she took her other form as to not fall over. The adjusted balance and heightened senses of this form were rather helpful, even if using it in public outside of the Dark Hour was not an option.

Multiple Shadows dove at her, so she formed a large bone with her Aura and knocked them away. When one tried to come at her from behind, she casually backhanded it into Akihiko, who finished the job rather quickly.

Minako was still going strong, but Junpei was begging Yukari to heal him. Either way, they had survived the first onslaught, and were now capable of moving forward.

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Hearing about the other train on the track was the first sign of how horribly wrong things had gone. Their only hope was to stop the train themselves, or it would be just Mitsuru against whatever was out there. And she couldn't let herself fail just yet, there were still several years to the deal.

"Can't Akihiko disrupt it? He can use electricity."

"If Polydeuces were to use anything on the higher end of Mazio, it would put the passengers of this transport at risk." She had to admit that Minako was a point. Blunt force trauma and electrocution were both painful, and she had encountered both of them in her travels. "In addition, my current equipped Persona has a lightning weakness."

"Can't you just switch?"

"My other Personas on hand either suffer a crippling weakness to Mudo skills or specialize in instant death, which do not work on larger Shadows."

 _ **'Thanks for making me feel appreciated. It's nice to know I can do less than the human.'**_

 _ **'Anubis, be nice.'**_

 _ **'I am a god of death. I don't do nice. Chronos did, and we don't talk about him anymore.'**_ Satoko sighed.

Yukari looked down. "So, that's it, then? Dead on the first big mission?"

"Well, I have one contact who may be in position to prevent our possible demise. He has an excellent reason to want certain members of our party alive, so we can be assured that he will help us."

"You just got here last month. How do you have another contact?"

"It doesn't matter. I shall send one of my Personas ahead to help, so at least there is that." Her Evoker fired, but Satoko didn't see the Persona very clearly out of the window. All she caught was a few wings.

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 _'Good luck, Sandy.'_

 _'Mistress Mina, I wanna help Sandy!'_

 _'Not now, Alice. Sandy, do you remember our plan?'_

 _'Meet the Moon and Hierophant at the front. They seem to already be in position. Between us, I think that the Priestess is as good as gone.'_

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The train had been stopped, and, according to Minako, the Shadow defeated. Still, Satoko could tell that something was off.

 _ **'This isn't over, is it?'**_

 _ **'If it was, would you be here for this long?'**_

 _ **'True. Still, what did senpai's contact do to stop the Shadow? I could sense two Personas, but one of them wasn't how it should be.'**_

 _ **'Too weak, right?'**_

 _ **'It'd be worrying, if it's strength wasn't showing signs of returning.'**_

 _ **'You should have tried to get a read on it, so we could find this contact ourselves.'**_

 _ **'If anyone knows anything about what's going on, it seems to be senpai. Let's respect her in this, all right?'**_

 _ **'If you say so.'**_

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Daichi: One month down, and things are beginning to pick up. Sandy is actually short for a specific Persona. Feel free to guess, it isn't that difficult.


	9. Pharos

Daichi: This is where it starts diverging even more.

BlackGatomon: She only owns Satoko, out of all the characters mentioned.

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"I hate you all," Minako glared at nothing in particular. "Especially you, Slime."

 _'What about us?'_

"All right, I don't hate you, Orpheus. Or Thanatos. Or Sandy. Maybe Messiah. But the rest of you..."

 _'Hey, just because Slime can be an asshole-'_

 _'You know, Nata, you aren't entirely blameless, either.'_ The voices in Minako Arisato's head started bickering.

"That's it! I only need to bring one Persona with me, anyway. Thanatos, Orpheus, you're in charge."

' _Wait, some of us share Arcanas with these people! That means they can break the cards if you materialize them!'_

"You know what, Pixie? At this point, I don't really care anymore." With that, seventeen cards appeared and fell to the floor.

"Come on, Sandy."

 _'You know, with Taraki here, you may have just unleashed Death on the city.'_

"It's not Dark Hour, the city will survive. We're meeting at Paulownia this time, right?"

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Mitsuru Kirijo was concerned.

No, she wasn't worrying. The heiress to a top company never worried. She just felt it worthy of her concern that, despite the squad being given the best training, given the circumstances, they hadn't even reached the big Shadow.

The team itself pressed the blame onto Junpei for that one. Apparently, he got so badly hurt that Yukari would have had to stay behind to treat him properly, and the others did not want to lose their medic. That was fine.

What wasn't fine was that she had no clue who had stopped the group from crashing. She had been paying more attention on the ones actually on the train.

Still, she wouldn't act on these concerns. Not until she got more information, anyway.

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"Takeba-senpai? What are you doing in our leader's room? And why do you have her Persona?" Surprisingly, it was not Yukari who spoke, but Pixie.

"Mistress Mina got fed up with us, and left Orpheus-chan and Thanatos-kun in charge. I share an Arcana with Miss Takeba, so she was able to fully summon me, as Mistress Mina left us here entirely to avoid paying the Compendium fees." The little Lovers pointed to one of the glowing cards on the floor. "See, you could summon Thanatos-kun if you wanted to, Sato-chan. You might not get the full results because of how ungodly powerful he is, but you can try it! Your friend could probably bring out Orpheus-chan, too!"

 ** _'This is a terrible idea.'_**

 ** _'I just want to try this out.'_** The instant she touched the card, her Aura began working against it. A large amount of energy was taken out of her, and she sat down, out of breath.

She wasn't the only one who sat there, either. A Shadow, shaped like a small child, met her gaze with unnaturally bright blue eyes.

"She didn't leave much power for me to draw on, then..." He muttered to himself, just barely loud enough for her to hear.

Nearby, Souji was looking at a carbon copy of Minako, but with eyes the same color as the boy's. "Pharos, I thought we were left to make sure this didn't happen," The girl sighed.

"Come on, Orpheus. You can't say I had anything to do with this."

"I can. Other me might even believe it. Come on. We can probably catch her on her date." The female Shadow dragged the smaller one out the door.

 _ **'You know, maybe I could try looking like you sometime.'**_

 _ **'Aren't you male?'**_

 _ **'I can be flexible.'**_

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"What are those three doing here?"

Minako shrugged. "I know that Liz and Theo like exploring, but Margaret's a new one."

"Our master kicked us out so he can set things back the way they were," Theodore explained.

"The way they were?"

"They turned it into a nightclub. I don't even know where they got the disco ball. I don't remember anywhere in this city selling them," Minako sighed. "Sometimes, I don't even know why I bother." She paused for a second, feeling something. "Do you want the good news, or the bad news first?"

"What is it?" Elizabeth asked.

"Well, the good news is that neither a fully powered Thanatos or Ryoji are loose in the city."

"What's the bad news?"

"Bad news is, Pharos, Pixie, and Orpheus' Shadow Minako form are loose in the city." All eyes turned to her. "Pixie's still at the dorm."

"Why are they loose in the city to begin with?"

"I didn't want to pay the summoning fees." She winced. "And I didn't want to deal with Slime. I don't know why Pharos and Orpheus went into the city, though. I precisely left them in charge!"

"You left the representation of your soul, and the physical embodiment of death, in charge of low power Personas?"

"It was a bad decision, I know!" She shook her head. "I think they're heading this way, so I can at least keep them from doing anything... too dangerous."

"You should forgive Mistress Minako. She get's a bit overworked at times," Theo explained to Margaret. She sighed.

"If I ever get a Guest, I pray that they are not as excitable as yours seems to be."

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"Still, how is this happening?" Yukari asked, quietly. "I mean, Shadows physically cannot exist outside the Dark Hour."

"Not true," Satoko immediately corrected. "I've run into my fair share before I even started experiencing the Dark Hour." And, wasn't it her fault? She didn't have those memories, but...

"Really? Where?"

"I doubt you could ever go there, senpai. And those Shadows are all gone. At least, they'll never harm another living being." She laughed. "I couldn't get rid of all of them, but I escaped, and everyone that was involved in the incident is safe now... most everyone."

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Nyarlathotep's new host was a rather gracious sort, if a bit off with his sense of humor. This, he had come to appreciate in their time together. The child with Philemon's blessing was a strong one, but as the world changed, well... maybe this time he could make a real mark on the world, even if Philemon's new host was powerful. And, of course, the new girl. The one meant to have died, or continued on elsewhere.

Still, the first thing that he had to handle was the boy. Second, actually. First was the Shadow trap set up in the basement. It had caught one from an unknown Arcana. One he didn't approve of existing, but the other probably did. Human emotion had two sides after all.

Star Arcana.

He decided to put it in the same room as the boy for the time being. With any luck, they'd kill each other and all he'd have to do was deal with the boy's body.

What use would a Star Shadow and Sho Minazuki have on the world, anyway?"

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Daichi: In summary: Orpheus and Pharos are in trouble, Satoko's still got memory problems, Ikutsuki's possessed, and Nyarlathotep hopes Teddie and Sho will manage a mutual kill. At least one of these will not end well.


End file.
